National Institute on Aging 1R01AG095946-01

Neuromechanical Bases for the Increased Energy Cost of Walking in Aging

This NIH-funded project investigates the biomechanical and physiological reasons for increased energy cost of walking in older adults, focusing on muscle weakness and neuromechanical demand, using advanced imaging and physiological techniques.

Description

The project aims to determine how age-related changes in gait strategy combine with contractile and bioenergetic deficits in three major locomotory muscle groups to increase the energy cost of walking (CoW) in older adults. The hypothesis is that proximal extensor muscle weakness in older adults requires greater muscle activation, increasing neuromechanical demand and muscle energy needs, thus elevating CoW. Data will be collected from young and older community-dwelling adults using electromyography, gait analysis, dynamometry, magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess neural, mechanical, and metabolic factors in the hip extensor, knee extensor, and plantar flexor muscles. The study aims to elucidate the biomechanical and physiological mechanisms underlying increased CoW in aging, addressing goals aligned with the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

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